Guides
A growing collection of how-to guides and reference notes.
- Short delivery and consequences
What happens when you short-deliver on a CNC sell: penalty, price differential, possible account restrictions. Explains the full consequence chain.
- SGB tax treatment on Zerodha
Sovereign Gold Bond tax: coupon taxed as interest; LTCG at maturity exempt; secondary market sale has capital gains tax.
- SGB premature redemption window
Sovereign Gold Bond premature redemption opens after 5 years on coupon dates. Window, process, and tax.
- SGB maturity credit destination
Where the SGB maturity proceeds are credited on the maturity date. The bank account linked to your Zerodha and SGB demat holding.
- SGB certificate of holding
What the SGB certificate of holding is, when you receive it, and where to access it in Zerodha + RBI Kuber portal.
- Settlement holiday impact on trades
How exchange holidays affect the T+1 settlement cycle: a trade on Friday with Monday holiday settles Tuesday. Explains the impact on cash and demat timings.
- Settlement cycle changes 2025-26
Indian equity settlement cycle changes in 2025-26: T+0 segment expansion, F&O settlement enhancements, and the broader push toward shorter settlement windows. Explains the timeline and the rationale.
- SEBI study: 90% of retail F&O traders lose money
SEBI's 2022 and 2024 studies found that approximately 90% of retail F&O traders incur losses. Explains the methodology, the headline findings, and the policy actions that followed.
- SEBI RA vs IA distinction
Research Analyst (RA) and Investment Adviser (IA) are SEBI-registered professional categories with different regulatory scope. Explains the distinction, what each can do, and how to verify credentials.
- SEBI peak margin rules explained
SEBI's peak margin rules require brokers to collect the highest of four intraday margin snapshots, ending the unlimited intraday leverage era. Explains the 2020-2021 phased rollout, the four snapshots, and the impact on retail intraday traders.
- SEBI F&O entry barrier rules 2024
SEBI's 2024 F&O entry barrier rules introduce income, experience, and suitability requirements for retail derivatives participation. Explains the framework, the rationale from the 90% loss study, and the implementation timeline.
- SEBI broker risk disclosure norms
SEBI's broker risk disclosure norms require brokers to provide clients with specific risk disclosures for derivatives and high-leverage products. Explains the disclosure requirements, frequency, and acknowledgment mechanics.
- SDL vs T-Bills vs G-Secs: comparison
Compare State Development Loans (SDL), Treasury Bills, and dated Government Securities. Covers issuer, tenor, coupon, yield, risk, and tax.
- SDL / T-Bill / G-Sec issuance calendar
The RBI weekly auction calendar for SDL, T-Bills and dated G-Secs. Covers typical days and where to find the current schedule.
- Same-day profits and Kite balance
How same-day F&O profits are reflected in Kite balance. The MTM update timing and what shows in real time vs end-of-day.
- RMS policy for MTF square-off
Risk Management System (RMS) policy for MTF square-off at Zerodha. Covers triggers, notice periods, and the auto-square-off process.
- Reserve blocked basis for G-Sec
How Zerodha calculates the blocked funds for a G-Sec bid. Covers face value, dirty price, and reserve buffer.
- Redesigned marketwatch on Kite web
Overview of the redesigned marketwatch on Kite web: tabbed watchlists, 250-instrument cap, inline action icons, depth panel, and the differences from the legacy layout.
- Realised vs unrealised profit calculation on Kite
How Kite distinguishes realised (booked) from unrealised (mark-to-market) profit. Covers FIFO accounting, average cost computation, and the tax-treatment implication.
- RBI Retail Direct vs Zerodha bonds
Compare RBI Retail Direct platform with Zerodha's bonds offering. Coverage, costs, features, and when each makes sense.
- Quicko vs ClearTax
Compare Quicko and ClearTax for ITR filing in India. Strengths in F&O / capital gains, pricing, and CA assistance.
- Quicko tax-loss-harvesting tool
Quicko's tax-loss-harvesting tool identifies opportunities to offset short-term and long-term capital gains by realising losses on other holdings.
- Quicko ITR for Zerodha P&L
Use Quicko to file ITR with Zerodha equity, F&O, and intraday P&L. Auto-import, capital gains classification, and tax computation.
- Quicko integration with Zerodha
Quicko connects directly to Zerodha Console to auto-import trading P&L, capital gains, dividends, and F&O data for ITR filing.
- Previous day profits not on Kite why
Why previous trading day's profits may not appear immediately on Kite Funds. Covers settlement timing, MTM cycle, and post-EOD batch processing.
- Pre-open session orders on Zerodha
How to place orders during the NSE / BSE pre-open session (09:00 to 09:15 IST) on Zerodha Kite. Covers order types, the call-auction mechanic, and timing.
- Pre-market zero bids meaning
When a scrip shows zero bids in the pre-open session, what it means: no buy interest at the indicative price, or no orders received yet. Explains both.
- Post-market session on Zerodha
The post-market closing session on NSE / BSE runs from 15:40 to 16:00 IST. Explains how orders work in this special window and the closing-price mechanic.
- Positions with unsettled balances
How positions with unsettled balances (T+1 settling) appear in margin calculations on Zerodha. Explains the treatment of unsettled funds.
- Positions P&L vs funds gains differences on Kite
Why the P&L shown on the Kite Positions tab can differ from the gain reflected in the funds account balance. Covers settlement timing, charges deduction, and overnight MTM adjustments.